Well This Sucks
by Wildcat Warrior
Summary: Fran is injured during an outing with Max and she feels like giving up when worse comes to worse, but she picks herself up and when her daughter Eve, decides to tell of a secret she's been keeping from her parents, things really start to cook. But like any loving family, they always find a way to make it.


**Well This Sucks**

**Chapter One**

**Alone Time**

Fran and Max had been planning an outing for the just the two of them, but could never get Jonah and Eve to do their own thing. Finally, C.C. agrees to take Eve with her and her daughter Angela to art museums, and Jonah is at a friends house. They are now ten years old, and Angela is nine. Niles has the house to himself that day, so Fran is packing up for a picnic for her and Max when C.C. comes into the kitchen with the girls.

"Ma, I don't want to go to some stupid art museum. It sounds so boring and dull." Eve, who looks just like Fran, says while sitting at the table and crossing her arms.

"Come on kiddo. I'm sure you will love it and really have a good time. C.C. took me one year to an art museum, and I loved it. Mainly because I conned her into going shopping afterwards. You can't have that one. That one's mine. Come up with your own way of conning her." Fran tells her, smiling.

"Genug already Mom. You win, you always win. But you don't play fair." Eve replies, while yawning.

"That's why I always win. Now scoot. I love you babygirl." Fran tells her, as she hugs her. Eve hugs her Mom back like she never wants to let go of her. Eve and Jonah are so attached to their Mother, that Max can't keep them worrying everytime Fran gets a small cold. Eve finally lets go of Fran and heads out on her adventure with C.C. and Angela. Fran gets back to work on packing up for the day when Max walks in the kitchen.

"Hey babe. You about ready to go?" Max asks, grabbing a coke from the fridge.

"Almost done. I've just got to put some water, coke, and bread in here. I already have the turkey and cheese, along with the items that go on them that we both like. Oh, you know what? It would be so much fun to get a frizbee game going. Would you go get it from the hall closet? I'll get the stuff for volleyball and load everything in the car." Fran tells him. Max goes and gets what he was asked to find, and off they go to the park. They've moved to California when the twins weren't even a month old yet, and they love it there so much.

After their lunch, they are laying there sunbathing, waiting for someone to want to get a volleyball game going. They didn't have long to wait because a family group from a reunion not 100 yards away, comes up to ask them if they can use their net and ball. Fran says okay, but with the exception that her and Max can play as well. The woman tells them sure, and that they don't mind. So, it's Fran's serve, and she is kicking ass too.

"Max, it's coming right to you." Fran hollers at him. She throws the ball in the air, and serves it right up to Max like she said she was gonna do.

"Dude, your wife is serious." A man named Ramone tells Max. He only laughs and says, "Yes, I know." Max misses and it's Fran's serve again.

"Come on Frannie. Get it past them." Sheila, Ramone's wife who's on Fran's team, says. Fran serves it up and this time, to Ramone. They agreed on play to fifteen win by two. The ball hits Ramone in the head and he just dies laughing about it.

"Way to use your head there buddy." Jessica, Ramone's cousin tells him, which makes everyone burst into laughter.

After the volleyball game, Fran and Max are still taking it easy and having some water, along with another sandwich, when Fran says, "You forgot about frizbee." Max takes a good spot, and has Fran to go about fifteen feet from where he is.

"Ya know honey, this was such a great day for this. I mean, the kids are finally off doing their own thing today, and we get to have our time together, finally." Max tells her.

"I know it's so nice out here today. Hey hey hey, who do you think I am, Paul Bunyan?" Fran replies, having to run after the frizbee. She chases it down, and lands right in a hole, hurting her right ankle. Max could hear it snap from twenty feet away from where he was standing. He gets up to Fran, who is cussing up a storm, and tears just pouring down her face.

"What happened? Let me take a look." Max tells her.

"Don't touch me right now. I, I think I broke it. This is gonna kill Jonah and Eve. They are so attached to me, that they won't leave me alone." Fran replies. Max gets everything picked up and in the car, then comes back and gets Fran. He gets under her, and just lifts her up like no big deal, and sits her in the car. He calls Niles to let him know what's going on and to call C.C. on her cell phone to inform her. He then takes her to the hospital.

At the hospital, Fran's waiting for her x rays to come back and she's gritting her teeth.

"Sweetheart, what's the matter? Other than you hurting." Max asks as she just sighs.

"I wanted a perfect day for us, and now this happens." Fran tells him as the doctor comes back in. He tells her that it's for sure broken and he puts a cast on her.

"Can you use crutches?" The doctor asks.

"I guess I'll have too won't I?" Fran replies.

"Yeah. Now Fran, when you come back to get the cast taken off, we will have to do another x ray and make sure you're completely healed up. I've seen this kind of break before and some patients have had to have it surgically repaired." The doctor tells her.

"Oy." Fran replies, falling back on the bed. Max helps her up and gets her on the crutches, and they go home.

**Chapter Two**

**I Don't Need Help**

As soon as they get back home, Max tries to help Fran out of the car and she won't let him.

"No Max. I've got it. I'm just fine." Fran tells him. That answer wasn't going over well with Max. He once again, got under her, and got her out of the car, and carried her into the house, where everyone was wanting answers as to what had just happened to her. Max was getting ready to sit her down on the couch, but here came Jonah and Eve and Max decided to hold onto her for a little bit.

"I know you kids are attached to your mother, but go away for a minute so I can sit her down. You are not going to swarm her. Do you understand me?" Max scolds them.

"Yes." They both say, and then go sit down so their dad can set their mom on the couch, where she wanted to be at.

"I have to get used to these crutches somehow. Before you put me on the couch, can you just stand me here in the living room so I can hop to the bathroom?" Fran asks, still in Max's arms, and C.C doesn't know wether to be nice or be mean. She's trying to change and be a better person.

"Fran, what made you go and do something like break your ankle in the first damn place?" C.C asks.

"Well C.C, it's not like I planned it. Get out of my way. I have to go to the bathroom and you're blocking my path." Fran replies, taking one of her crutches and smacking C.C in her calf with it.

"Ouch, damn you Fran. That hurt you witch." C.C whines.

"Frankly C.C, I could care less." Fran says, getting into the restroom by herself. Max and Niles are near the dining room and heard and seen everything.

"Seems to me like Fran's getting stronger about standing up to C.C." Max tells Niles.

"It's about damn time Sir. I was wondering when she was gonna give Babcock the big what for. I'm so proud." Niles says. Five minutes later, Fran is coming back from the bathroom and headed toward the kitchen.

"Where are you headed?" Eve asks, coming in from the office, and getting caught.

"Nevermind that crap. Why were you in your father's office?" Fran says, stopping to sit on the piano bench.

"Looking for a piece of paper. I'm writing a pen pal who lives in Isreal. She's of my heritage after all. Why not ask Jonah why he was in there just yesterday." Eve replies.

"Rat!" Jonah yells out and runs off but Max grabs him around his waist and stops him.

"Son, why was you in there? I have important papers in there from working at the theater." Max tells him.

"I was looking for a ball that rolled in there. I was playing with the puppy and the ball rolled in your office." Jonah replies. Max explains to them both not to be in his office unless they have permission. He lets it go this time and just watches Eve write away on her letter. He can't believe how Eve is Fran made over. From her being left handed, to her voice, her hair, and her style. She has Fran's brown eyes, and warm smile too.

"Daddy, how do you spell Indonesia? Remember, Ma and I were going to try to go this summer. Well, before she broke her ankle that is." Eve asks, not even looking up from her paper. Max tells her how to spell it, and Eve bounces off to her room in search of an envelope. She doesn't find one so in about thirty seconds, they hear, "Uncle Niles!" in her voice that sounds like her mother's to a T. Fran is finally in the kitchen now, getting an apple and some tea. She manages to sit down while doing it, and scoot the chair around the kitchen to get everything.

"I'm exhausted now." Fran says to herself, preparing her tea the way she likes it. She lays her head down on her folded arms and goes to sleep. Max finds her, and takes her upstairs where she sleeps until the next morning.

**Chapter Three**

**Getting Better Slowly**

**Fran is getting** her cast off and doing a lot better, or so she thinks she is. While she's at the hospital, as soon as her cast comes off, she gets up and slowly walks around the room. Max can see she's struggling and having trouble breathing. He sneaks out and finds another doctor aside from the one that just took her cast off of her ankle. The doctor gets in there and looks over everything and gives a ruling.

"We need to do some bloodwork on you for the simple fact, you are struggling with breathing, and being layed up for awhile, you may have a bloodclot or two. We're doing lab work and if they seem not right, then we will run other tests. Just change into this gown here, cause we are going to do labs through an IV post." The doctor tells her.

"Wait, doctor how serious is this?" Fran asks, taking over her own health for once in her life.

"People die from bloodclots daily Fran. It may not be that with you though. Hang tight. Don't go anywhere, we got a lot to do hon." Doctor Parker replies. Fran just sits down and doesn't say a word, not even to Max. Ten minutes later, a nurse is coming in and putting in an IV post for the labs. Fran usually would fight, but this time, it's like it didn't even phase her. They get it in and finally when Fran looks down at what they're doing, she becomes fully aware of her surroundings.

"Hey, you could've warned me first. That hurts. What's that for?" Fran says, seeing some saline.

"The doctor decided to go ahead and have a catscan ran to see about some bloodclots, and check your bloodwork as well. So, we need to run some saline to flush your veins for the dye to go through. We've just about got it. Doing good, yep that's what I like to see. Perfect. You are all set up and ready to go." The nurse tells her, and Fran can't take her eyes off the IV.

"What do they do when they do a catscan? I mean, how bad are they? Does the dye hurt or burn?" Fran asks.

"Oh no. What they do, is have you flat on your back and they run you through a tube. The dye will just make you feel really warm and tingly. Some people it bothers their stomach a little, but not real bad. Mr. Sheffield, do you have any questions for me?" The nurse replies. Max says he doesn't have any questions at the time and they take Fran down to the catscan room. She's doing fine until she gets in there. She just closes her eyes and doesn't open them until the test is over.

An hour later, the doctor comes back in and tells her she has to stay at least a night or two due to a bloodclot in her lungs. She cries of course, but her cantor from temple was called in and he prayed for her, with her, and over her. Max did the same and Fran started to feel better then.

"Darling, I've got to call home and let everyone know what's going on. You won't be feeling up to company probably." Max says, pulling out his phone.

"Wrong! I want my kids. You tell Niles or C.C, I don't care who. Tell one of them to bring me my children." Fran demands, wiping tears from her eyes but there's too many to get them all. Max does as she said and calls home to talk to Niles. C.C answers the phone though.

"Max, where are you two?" C.C. asks.

"At the hospital. Fran had to have some tests ran because she wasn't breathing very well. Come to find out, she has a bloodclot in her lungs and they are keeping her tonight and possibly tomorrow too. She wants Jonah and Eve. Can you or Niles bring them here so she can see them?" Max tells her.

"A bloodclot? Oh my God Maxwell. I have got to start changing my ways with her. I feel so bad for everything. Please forgive me. Niles and I will bring the kids. Angela will have to come too. I'm not leaving a ten year old by herself in this house." C.C. replies, signaling to everyone to move it along.

"C.C. that's not important right now about you changing. But I do accept your appology and I'm sure Fran will too when she hears it from you when you all get here. Bring Sylvia and Val before I forget about them." Max says, sitting by Fran who's still in the E R and not made it to her room yet. C.C. says she's on the case and she'll bring everyone in the limo if she has too just to fit them all in there. Fran just stares off into space before crying again for the fourth time since she's been there.

"Hell, all I wanted to do was just get this cast off." Fran says, to no one inpeticular. Max just smiles at her comment and sits by her on the bed. She turns to him and has her face buried in his shoulder, just crying uncontrolably.

"This is really serious Max. I can't die and I'm not ready to die. I've got to much to live for. What about my babies? All of them. What will they do without me?" Fran says, until she cries herself to sleep. Max lays her down and covers her up when everyone shows up.

"Be quiet guys. She just cried herself to sleep. She's so worried and talking about being afraid to die." Max tells them, wiping a few tears from his cheeks. Fran can sence that Jonah and Eve are there and she says she needs them for awhile. They go over to her bed, and climb up there with their mom with Eve in front of her, and Jonah behind her with his arm over them both as if to protect them from someone or something.

"Guys, come on. Get down from there." C.C. tells them.

"Leave them alone. They don't have too. I need them with me C.C. It's that simple." Fran says, starting to cry again. All three of them lay on the bed, crying together while Max takes everyone else down to the cafeteria.

Three days later, Fran's getting two shots in her stomach before getting to go home. She's told that she's going to need to be down for awhile and not do anything for at least a week. She is not to happy about it but notices that the only bad thing about the shots is that they just burn like crazy. When Max and the twins come to pick her up, the twins are discussing something in silent whispers, and Max can't make out what they are saying.

"No. I can't tell them yet Jonah." Eve tells her brother, who won't leave her alone.

"You have too sometime. How long can you keep that a secret? It's a great thing. You have the moves and the grades to do it. True that we are only in the fifth grade, but still you can do this Eve." Jonah replies, trying to be supportive of her choice to join the sixth grade cheerleading squad next year.

"I have a whole month before I have to tell them anything. I'm not saying anything right now." Eve says.

"You two have been deep in discussion since we left the house. What's going on?" Max asks them.

"Ugh, fine. Daddy, you and Ma may as well know now. I'm joining cheerleading next school year. I have the grades to be able to do it, and I really want to do it. Please Daddy?" Eve tells him, and Fran hears the whole thing and silently prays that Max will let her do it.

''I have to talk to your mother about it. It's fine with me, but it's mainly up to her." Max says, and Eve jumps up and down and grabs him for a hug. She knows that she can manipulate her mom and get her to say yes about anything, simply because Eve has Fran wrapped around her little finger, as Jonah does with Max. They release Fran and her and Max talk about the whole cheerleading deal with Eve listening closely as usual.

**Chapter Four**

**Make It Or Break It**

When Eve and Jonah are finally in highschool, they are both into sports and such. Jonah is in basketball and one of the tallest on the team, and Eve is in cheerleading as co captian. She's one good idea away from being the new captian. Max and Fran really get into their kids's sports and help them as much as they can. Max helps Jonah with basketball by taking him to the local park and shoot around with him, while Fran takes Eve to the gym where they work out and exercise and try to stay fit.

"Mom, I need to take a break. I am so sfitzing here. Did you bring any water? Tell me you brought the water, please. I'm dying here Ma." Eve tells her, falling over on the floor and making Fran laugh at her.

"No. I didn't. But I'll tell ya what. I have some money on hand. How about I just go to the coke machine and get us some water? Will that work?" Fran replies.

"Anything." Eve says, waving her hand at her mother, still laying on the floor of the gym. Fran's only gone for maybe five minutes and when she comes back, she finds Eve doing all kinds of stretches and working on some moves for the upcoming routine the following weekend. They already live in California so, it's no big deal getting where they need to be. C.C walks in to find Fran cause there's something going on at the house. Apparently, Fran's phone was still turned off and C.C couldn't get ahold of her any other way.

"Hey Eve. Where's your mom?" C.C asks her.

"After getting us some water, she went somewhere. I just don't know where. Want to walk with me and find her together?" Eve says, giving C.C a hug. C.C still can't hardly stand Fran, but she loves them kids and they love her as well.

"Sure baby. Let's go find her. I left Angie with her dad for awhile and they were trying to fix supper and the dog got in the way, and tripped Angie while she was carrying some hot water. Long story short, she tripped, dropped the water, and it spilled from the pot over to her. It burned her all the way from her chest down. Niles took her to the hospital and he sent me to look for all of you. I was able to call your father and Jonah." C.C tells her.

"Oh my God. Ma!" Eve yells, finally finding Fran. They tell her what happened and that Max and Jonah are already on their way to the hospital. They head out to the hospital and Fran turns her phone back on so she can call Max.

"Hey sweetheart. No need to come to the hospital. She's fine. Niles told us as soon as we got here. We are on our way back home. The doctor said she's lucky. She had a one degree burn and a few small blisters. They just packed her in ice and she's froze to death now she said. But she's fine. How did Eve do on her practicing for Nationals next weekend?" Max says.

"She done really good. How did Jonah do for his game for tomorrow night?" Fran replies.

"He beat his old man again. The boy is the next Micheal Jordan, only he's white." Max says, laughing a little bit. They all get back home and wait for Niles and Angela to get home. When they show up, Angela says, "Cold. I need heat." Fran gets her a blanket and she starts feeling better then.

Friday night rolls around and they are all at Jonah's basketball game. So far, his team is down by five points at half time. Niles is hollering at the other team and cheering for Jonah's team and all the girls are asking Eve who the crazy guy in the blue jeans and green shirt is.

"I have no idea." Eve tells them, looking at Niles like he's a crazy person or something.

"Isn't that your butler?" Melinda asks her.

"Kind of. Well yeah he is. But, he's a great guy. He's like an uncle to me and Jonah." Eve tells them, while they figure out some last minute moves for their routine. They're cheering for Jonah's team and it seems to work. At the final buzzer, Jonah shoots from half court and makes it, winning the game.

"That's my son that just done that!" Max hollers out.

"Way to go baby!" Fran hollers to Jonah and he turns right toward them and waves and smiles.

"Jonah, Jonah, Jonah!" Eve starts chanting, to which everyone joins her. They all go home and Niles cooks a big game winning supper for everyone in celebration.

**Chapter Five**

**What A Life We Have**

Three days after Eve's squad wins Nationals, they are back home and someone is knocking at the door looking for Angela. During Nationals, Niles told Max that they needed to go back to England for a family emergency and that they would be staying there permantly.

"Hello. My name is Justin. Is Angela home by any chance?" The boy asks Eve.

"She doesn't live here anymore. Ask my dad why. It hurts me too much to talk about it." Eve says, running off towards her father's office. Max comes out and explains to the young man what had happened as to why they no longer live there. Fran is looking for Eve and she finds her in her room, looking at a picture of her and Angela that was taken just recently at an amusement park. They are standing outside the gate of a roller coaster that no one said they would ride. In the picture, they have their arms around around each other's shoulders and are holding up peace signs. It looks like a young Fran and C.C standing there.

"You have no idea how much I miss you already. Come back Angie. Please, come back home." Eve tells the picture, then she lays down holding onto it, not even noticing that her mom is watching from the hall. Eve has tears just pouring down her face, laying on her back when Fran finally walks in.

"Eve honey. It's really gonna take you a long time isn't it? I know your heart is broken and I wish there was something I could do for you. I really want to take your pain away." Fran tells her as Eve sits up and falls into her mom's arms, crying again.

"I just miss her Ma. We grew up together and went everywhere together. We were like sisters. Even though we fought sometimes, I love her and miss her. She and I were like you and Aunt Val. Crap, that reminds me. I have to call her today and set up our weekend like we always do." Eve replies, wiping her eyes and smearing her makeup. This time, she just takes it all the way off and says forget it.

"That's right. You and her have a girls weekend shopping thing while Uncle Fred takes off with Jonah for fishing and what not. Oh, I got a call from C.C today. She said that Angie looks at that picture almost every second like you do and that we would try to get together in a couple of weeks. Get ready for supper in about ten minutes okay? I was getting ready to check on it when I seen you come up here and I was gonna ask you if you wanted to help with supper tonight. I can see you probably don't feel like it today, so just get ready in ten minutes." Fran says, getting up to leave and Eve takes her by the arm.

"I think, I do want to help tonight. Let's go." Eve tells her, finally smiling for once since Angela left.

Two weeks later, Max has flown everyone to England to visit with Niles and their family for a week and the girls have a blast. They do the same things they once did and Jonah does things with Max and Niles and some of Niles's friends like play different games in the yard while the women do their own thing. Fran goes to get a drink and while she's gone, she starts thinking about how things have changed in her life. One minute she's working in a bridal shop and getting fired and dumped from there, then she's a nanny. From the nanny job, she starts dating Max, but is still the nanny for awhile. Once she got married, things really starting moving in a different direction for her. Once the twins were born, she knew her life had went from nowhere, to short of being a miracle. Jonah and Eve were almost through highschool and Jonah was center on the basketball team and Eve was now head captain of the cheerleading squad. Fran was married to the love of her life and better half of her soul, Maxwell Sheffield. Val and Fred had found the one thing in each other that they never knew even existed, and that was a friendship and marriage that could withstand the tests of time. Niles and C.C may have moved back to England, but they always keep in touch and find a way to keep Eve and Angela together. Angela has taken up Polo since she moved to England and becoming quite good at it. Niles and C.C are still their same squabbling selves. Fran's just smiling and thinking about all the good times, and as she's headed back to her girls only hang out, they hear her holler out, "Here I come ladies!" Everyone is quite happy and content with the way their lives have turned out, and they wouldn't change one thing about any of it.

**THE END**


End file.
